Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Brandon and I write both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for Tennis and Soccer respectively. If you have not checked those out, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season which means it's time to sharpen our MLB skills and partake in NHL DFS! As always, I'll give you the best tools to succeed and the info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Today I'll be bringing you my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel Tuesday, 17th, 2023 at 7:00 PM EST. Be sure to also check out our awesome NHL tools including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, Projections, and DFS Cheat Sheets!
If you have any questions on today's slate, bankroll management, GPP strategy, Cash game strategy, or anything else don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected] or via Twitter @df_solutions or in our premium slack chat. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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NHL DFS Analysis and Picks for 1/17/23
We are officially at the time of the year when each game is of its utmost importance as teams gauge whether they are a playoff contender, a seller or on the bubble. Tonight we have a modest 8 games and nine teams playing on a back-to-back: Florida, Anaheim, Philadelphia, Washington, Columbus, Nashville, Buffalo, Seattle and Detroit. The currently live top-3 highest implied team totals are: Nashville with 3.9, Buffalo with 3.8 and Winnipeg with 3.8 goals. I will do my best in guiding you through this eight-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.
DISCLOSURE: Make sure to monitor the news feed and play at your own risk
Goalies
Matt Murray- DK $8.1K || FD $8.4K
Opponent - Florida Panthers
There are a few viable options in net tonight, however, Murray takes the cake. The Maple Leafs’ netminder has won 3 of his last five appearances and he gets a prime matchup tonight when he hosts the Panthers. The Panthers are the seventh-best team in Shots For Per 60 – 32.62 –, however, they are in the bottom half of the league in both Scoring Chances For Per 60 – 27.79 – and Goals For Per 60 – 2.67 – all over their last 10 games. Furthermore, they are also playing on the second-half of a back-to-back after beating Buffalo 4-1 yesterday. This puts Murray in line for a potential ceiling game with a floor game at a minimum.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Hellebuyck (DK $8.4K || FD $8.8K), Fleury (DK $7.8K || FD $7.2K)
Centers
Pierre-Luc Dubois-DK $6.8K || FD $8.9K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
Somehow Dubois’s price has yet to crack the next level, but yet his wingers, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers both are there. However, all three of them are producing at the same clips. Over Dubois’s last five games, he has 1 goal, 5 assists and 21 shots. This bodes well for the centerman since the Canadiens are the second-worst in both Shots Against Per 60 – 36.41 –, Scoring Chances Against Per 60 – 36.16 – and they are third-worst in Goals Against Per 60 – 3.54 –, all over their last 10 games. Dubois is easily one of the best-valued centers on the slate and his ownership will reflect that.
Juuso Parssinen- DK $3.7K || FD $4.6K
Opponent - Columbus Blue Jackets
I am not one to go after a player who is playing on the second-half of a back-to-back, but I cannot help myself. Parssinen is being revived back in a scoring role and he is coming off another solid performance in the 2-1 win against Calgary last night – 1 goal, 3 shots and 1 blocked shot –. To truly emphasize how good of a spot he is in, he has a 7-game point streak right now, where he has amassed 2 goals, 7 assists and 13 shots all while his salary has stayed at the bottom of the range. That is truly remarkable and yet he is also seeing sub-10 percent ownership. Columbus is the fifth-worst team in Shots Against Per 60 – 33.13 –, but they have improved in both Scoring Chances Against Per 60 – 27.28 – and Goals Against Per 60 – 2.37 –, all over the last 10 games. Keep in mind that Columbus is also playing on their back-to-back as well after losing 3-1 to the New York Rangers last night. This is the perfect spot to pay down to stack bigger guns at the top of the salary range.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Matthews (DK $8.6K || FD $9.9K), Cozens (DK $5.7K || FD $7.2K)
Wings
Robby Fabbri- DK $4.2K || FD $4.8K
Opponent - Arizona Coyotes
After playing a few games in the bottom six to get his feet wet, Fabbri has instantly found himself on Larkin’s wing, although he has yet to produce. The winger in his six games has 3 goals, 12 shots and 5 blocked shots. The shooting volume is not quite there, however, it is starting to pick up and playing with a higher-skilled teammate could also help Fabbri’s case. With little wiggle room to fit in the higher-salaried players tonight, paying down at Fabbri is a great option, considering he is on the top line and the top power-play unit.
Nikolaj Ehlers- DK $7.6K || FD $9.5K
Opponent - Montreal Canadiens
We once again find ourselves picking on the defenseless Canadiens. Ehlers has set the world on fire in his return from his injury. The winger now has 3 goals, 6 assists and 14 shots over his last five games. The Canadiens’ defense has been mentioned once already – see Dubois highlight – and this makes the perfect spot for Ehlers to explode and extend his point-streak to six games.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Marner (DK $6.8K || FD $8.3K), Peterka (DK $2.6K || FD $4.2K)
Defense
Adam Boqvist- DK $3K || FD $4.3K
Opponent - Nashville Predators
There are a few different routes you can go on defense tonight when looking for value, however, Boqvist is one of the ‘better’ options with the possibility of a ceiling game. The defender over his last five games has 4 assists, 10 shots and 8 blocked shots. His production has seen a big jump ever since teammate Patrik Laine returned from injury. For his salary, we do not need much for him to maintain value.
Vince Dunn- DK $4.4K || FD $6K
Opponent - Edmonton Oilers
The Dunncursion keeps rowing along. Vince Dunn has officially stepped up to the plate and reassured Seattle that they made a good decision in taking him during the Expansion Draft. Dunn now has a 7-game point streak where he has totaled 4 goals, 7 assists, 17 shots and 3 blocked shots. Edmonton will be quite the challenge for the young defenseman, however, he has proven himself against some of the best talent in the league. Even if Dunn does not get a point tonight, he will have many chances to rack up peripherals.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Rielly (DK $4.8K || FD $5.9K), York (DK $3.6K || FD $4.4K)
NHL DFS Top Power Plays and Stacks
- WPG1
- BUF1
- DET1
- TOR1
Brandon's Stack of the Day
- WPG: Ehlers-Dubois-Connor
Chalk Stack
- BUF: Skinner-Thompson-Tuch
Sneaky Stack
- PHI: Farabee-Cates-Tippett